


Girls don't want boys, girls want damn respect

by Minne_My



Category: Pushing Daisies
Genre: Accidental Death, Friendship, Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29059572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minne_My/pseuds/Minne_My
Summary: Dwight Dixon is up to something. Calista Cod knows it. She doesn't know why but she's damn well going to do something about it
Kudos: 3





	Girls don't want boys, girls want damn respect

Her boy always had an eye for the ladies. Calista blew out a ring of smoke and regretfully considered how little she knew about the adult her son had turned into. He had been keeping secrets from her and she felt wretched about it. She had to acknowledge that she'd been too caught up in herself and her work to think about how he was doing. She was staggered to hear about the granddaughter she never knew she had and was pissed off with the circumstances of the situation. Even worse was Emerson's resigned melancholy. He'd never been more patient in his life, waiting to meet his Lil' Gumshoe. She was mortified that she'd misinterpreted the pop-up book so badly and didn't know how to right the situation.

She shook her head in disbelief. A child! She had given up hope that Emerson would bother settling down. But it seemed that he had a romantic streak after all. Misplaced, but romantic, nonetheless. Having met a couple of her son's girlfriends before, Calista acknowledged that Emerson could be a sucker for a pretty face and had proven himself to be a fool for love on more than one occasion. She would reserve judgment on Lila Robinson when she would meet her. Because Calista would insist upon it.

Simone Hundin though. My goodness, was she a work of art. Elegantly poised and shimmeringly gorgeous, at first she seemed far too clipped for big-hearted Emerson. A real classy piece. She clearly wore the trousers in the relationship. Calista was reminded of the principal at school that Emerson had crushed on so hard that he'd broken every fire alarm in the school over the course of several months just to get her attention. Some things never changed.

'Hello' said Simone with flinty eyes, her voice as polished as her complexion. Calista resisted the urge to curtsey. She shook her hand wonderingly. Emerson and Simone had found her in his office, brandishing his book and demanding to know if this was what Emerson had really thought of her. A slight embarrassment in front of his new girlfriend. But Simone had graciously overlooked it.

The door opened and a stout middle-aged man strode in. Calista tutted. He had interrupted her thoughts. She watched him from under the brim of her hat. The staff looked up and visibly tensed. The atmosphere turned wary.

'You again' said Ned curtly. He was not fond of this stranger who had strolled in a couple of weeks ago and nonchalantly praised his pie. Almost as good as his mother's, apparently. That last statement had really set Ned's teeth on edge. He avoided talking about his mother at all costs. The memories were too painful.

'Well I do like the pie…hoe…'

Dwight Dixon turned his head and found himself looking at Olive's cleavage. She stared back, smile rapidly fading as she took in his lecherous glance.

'Pie Hole' he said hastily. 'That's what I meant.'

'Pie of the day is triple berry, alright bye' said Olive, slapping the menu on the table and clicking away on her stilettos. Dwight watched her go. Calista cleared her throat menacingly. Dwight turned to look at her.

'Something I said?'

Calista was not amused. She blew smoke out of her nose and stared levelly at him.

'I'd keep your eye on your pie if I were you.'

Dwight was reminded of an irate dragon. He decided on the triple berry to make his day simpler. Ned sloshed him his coffee and handed him his bill straight away.

'Well, that's…efficient service' said Dwight with a sneer. Ned and the others retreated to the kitchen to mutter between them ominously. Calista shook out a newspaper for appearances sake to watch their reactions. They seemed jumpy. The blonde waitress zipped up her dress a bit more, the others kept mentioning a watch, that much she could lipread.

Calista waited until the man had left, his bill snatched by a sour faced Olive. He gave her another creepy smile. She glared at him. Calista didn't blame her. Men buzzed around like bees when seeing breasts like that. Took the novelty off when you had to deal with that shit all the time. She didn't miss those days.

She motioned to her son.

'Who was that man?'

'He ain't nobody but a pain in the ass.'

Even so, Emerson looked worried.

'What's he done?'

'Nothin.'

'What's all this about a watch?'

He looked at her in dismay.

'Just tell me.'

Emerson leaned forward and told her that this man, Dwight Dixon, claimed to know Ned's parents back in the day and was unnerving him by the untold stories he was dangling in front of him.

'Ned's got issues when it comes to his parents.'

Calista snorted. _Who doesn't?_ She thought.

'He wants something. A watch. Chuck's father's watch. It was buried…with him.'

Emerson stopped himself in time. He couldn't tell his mother about dead girl being buried with the watch. She could winkle out his other secrets but not that. It wasn't his secret to divulge.

'Chuck?'

Emerson jerked his head over to the kitchen.

'The other one.'

Calista thought back to the other girl who had disappeared like quicksilver when the man had walked in.

'We think he might go and dig up the grave. We've got to keep a watch on him.'

'You think he's going to dig up this girl's father for a watch?'

Calista was appalled. And that took a lot of doing.

'Fuckin' low-down skunk.'

Emerson had to agree.

'Don't get involved, momma' he warned, seeing the gleam in her eye.

'Grave robbing is not cute.'

'Don't you dare go there. Keep well out of his way. We don't know too much about him but he's a serious threat.'

She'd not seen him so intently serious in a long time. He was definite that Dwight Dixon needed to be dealt with. Behind him she saw a terrified Chuck peer out from the wall where she'd been hiding. Emerson saw his mother's face darken. He knew that expression.

'Don't you dare, momma.'

She sat back and said nothing more. Bade her son goodbye, her mind on the other girl. Emerson was so relieved that she had left it that he hadn't paid attention to her silence. She returned at the end of the day to trail them to the cemetery. Ned, Chuck and Emerson. They looked grim and determined. She kept a safe distance and kept back while when they entered the gates. At the point where she was considering following them in, she became aware of a tugging at her sleeve.

'Hey' whispered Olive. 'Emerson's mom.'

Calista turned her head sharply to look at the tiny waitress. She shushed her.

'I know I know. Just wanted to know what they were up to.'

'Doing something about this Dwight Dixon I would imagine.'

'He was such a charmer when he first came in. But he's here every few days now and he's become unbearable' Olive explained. She chattered on quietly while Calista scoped out the scene. It didn't take long to see three backs peering from behind some gravestones.

They all saw Dwight with a heavy-duty spade. And a whacking great gun, perched on a grave off to the side. None of them liked the sound of his humming or the look of concentrated glee as he stared down at his target. Chuck shivered with apprehension. Calista wasn't waiting around. She edged around them and snatched up the weapon as quickly as she could. She stepped heavily back and silently cursed her tread. She'd lost the element of surprise.

Dwight heard the footsteps behind him with the unmistakeable sound of the cocking of a gun. He turned around mockingly, expecting Lily Charles. True, he was staring down the barrel of a big one. His big one. But the woman wielding it was not the wiry figure of his nemesis. She was much sturdier, even scarier if possible and a cigar peeked out of her coat pocket. Her voice was gravelly and not unattractive. Her hair glowed silver in the moonlight.

'I'll give you ten seconds to run.'

'Why would I do that?'

'Because I can shoot at ten yards. So better start running.'

He recognised the dame from the Pie Hole and laughed, not willing to believe it. She aimed the gun up and fired, taking down a branch of a nearby tree. The smile slipped off his face and he started to run backwards. Propelled by a strange force, she started to follow, tramping over leaves and snow, keeping her prey within range.

When Dwight thought he had managed a safe distance, he laughed triumphantly. It enraged Calista to the point that the shot that rang out was entirely of her own doing. _Shit._

Olive yelped and jumped back.

It took him a while to keel over. He clutched his chest on his way down.

'Jiminy krispies!' Squeaked Olive.

 _You could say that_ Calista thought. Three figures raced out from between the shadows and skidded to a halt, looking at the corpse in horror.

'Please say you didn't?'

Calista put her hands up and admitted that she hadn't meant to do it. The gun clattered noisily on the ground. Ned started nervously. He had no love for bullets.

Emerson looked scared and enraged at the same time. Chuck ran over and checked on the body.

'You shot him?'

Calista nodded.

'There's no wound.'

'WHAT?!'

They all bustled over, Ned peering over in horror. Chuck showed them that he was unmarked. No blood anywhere. Laid out in the falling snow, he looked more respectable in death than he ever had been in life. Except for a bluish tinge to his face.

'His hands were on his chest' Olive demonstrated.

Emerson breathed out heavily and then barked out a nervous laugh.

'His heart. His heart must have given out when you shot at him. Where's that damn bullet?'

They did not know. They looked around but didn't want to waste too much time.

'Well we can't just leave him there' barked Emerson. He conferred with Ned who was looking paler by the minute. He nodded and they approached the body. Emerson instructed the women to find somewhere to put him. Chuck and Olive raced off. But Calista lingered, checking over her shoulder as the men leaned over the body, shielding it from sight. She could have sworn that the corpse had twitched for a couple of seconds but it had been over in a flash and then she wasn't so sure anymore. She waited until they turned around.

'I know I acted foolishly. But you'd better be sure about this man. Even if he really did die of a heart attack and not because of me, this is serious.'

Emerson reassured her that it had been fate. She wasn't entirely convinced. She could have so easily been guilty of murdering this odious man.

'Momma, I swear to you, it was better he went this way.'

'I hope so. Because normally I'm a good shot.'

Calista didn't elaborate further. Emerson didn't ask her to. He just wrapped his arms around her in relief. She had no idea what the full story was and she wished that he'd just tell her but it had to be in his own time. And it had better be good. She trusted that Emerson was right in his estimation. She'd decide if it had been worth the risk when she knew more.

After all, her career had been built on risk.


End file.
